1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mat base plate for a door mat which provides an aesthetic appearance even after cleaning and washing resulting shrinkage of the mat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A mat is indispensable to be placed in front of an entrance of a house so as to remove dust from shoes so that the dust will not be tracked into the house. A carpet having upright fibers is usually used as the mat and it is placed on a mat base plate made of synthetic rubber, synthetic resin and the like. The mat is detachably secured on the mat base plate by means of conventional fasteners such as Velcro hook-and-fleece fasteners.
In the course of time, after the mat which has been cleaned and washed it shrinks so that it is smaller than its original size. At this point a conventional mat presents an inaesthetic appearance. For example, the shrinkage of the mat is easily noticeable at a glance due to the gap created between the mat and the mat base plate which is not shrinkable, since said conventional mat base plate has a border which includes a set of steps disposed around the periphery of the mat.
FIG. 1 is a partial enlarged cross-section showing the appearance of a conventional mat base plate with a shrunken mat placed on it. The floor of the conventional mat base plate 1 is surrounded by an upwardly protruding rim 1a. The mat 2 has upright fibers 2a thereon. At the stage depicted, the mat 2 has shrunken due to cleaning and a gap 3 has formed between the inner perimeter of the rim 1a and the outer perimeter of the mat 2. In such a condition, the viewer notices that the mat has a thickness including said upright fibers 2a and recognizes a deep crevice 3 between the inner perimeter of the rim 1a and the outer perimeter of the mat 2. A bottom line 4 of the crevice 3, formed by the intersection of the inner wall of the rim 1a and upper face of said mat base plate 1 is noticeable as a distinct straight line and it further strengthens an impression that the crevice 3 is a deep one.
A phantom straight line l is shown drawn on FIG. 1 between the upper, inner corner of the rim 1a and the outer, lower corner of the mat 2.